DCS Vivaldi stacks vs Esoteric Grandioso G1, D1, P1 stacks

Caphill,

This is going to sound like sacrilege but I would keep what you got digitally. 

In reality you can get way better electronics and cabling and that is what I would recommend you look at if you are itching to make a change. 

Yes the Dgastino stuff looks fantastic and does sound good, but there are many industry insiders that are not bowled over by Dan's stuff, we have heard this same setup at shows and were not impressed, it is very good hifi but pales in comparison to some of the other reference lines of electronics currently on the market. 

If you want to hear amazing electronics listen to Gryphon or T+A, add a really fantastic non current limiting power conditioner, such as what Audio Magic makes, and look at Enklein  or Tara Labs cabling and I think you would be amazed at how much closer to real music your new system would come compared to the old. 

We did a interesting demo of a $120k Krell Master Reference Amplifier vs a T+A HV 3000 power amp and power supply $32k for the pair and they crushed the older Krells, yes those are older Krell designs and yes Dan has moved on with some faster output devices and switched mode power supplies but the design of the MRA was the best that Dan could build and in comparison spec wise was was on another planet compared to his new stuff.  In terms of many amplifiers the Krell MRA was the ultimate beast of a Pure Class A power house amplifier, with only the largest Boulder amplifiers today that are the clone of those amplifiers. We have always found the Boulders to be a little on the dry side for our tastes.

Again this is only our opinion, but until you dare to question some of your choices you might not know if you are on the right track or not.

That same client was also using Transparent Opus and the Enklein cabling was better. 

We are also not saying you shouldn't try an Esoteric stack if you are that curious, you should ,but again perhaps making some of these other changes might work even better for you. 

We would also argue just because Wilson uses brand x y or z at a show doesn't necessarily mean that is in reality the best pairing, sometimes politics is behind some of what you hear at shows.

So perhaps different electronics might be an even better thing to change or perhaps not your call, 

Troy and Dave 
Audio Doctor NJ>

Reach out to Ivan over at audioaficionado. He runs the site. He has the full stack at his house in MA, and he’s a dealer. 

Caphill, thanks for this inquiry--it's fun to read a discussion about this level of gear because few have addressed every system detail as you have.  If you had said you were not satisfied, the Zen response, "If you are not happy with what you have, you will not be with what you want" may have appeared.  Since you say you are only curious, though,  I would think a dealer would come out personally with a set for you to try--or at least send by white-glove courier.  Did I read somewhere about rubidium clocks guaranteed accurate--at least prior to shipping?  I guess I would even drive for a day or two to pick them up at that price--would love to hear your in-home review of anything you would try--can you describe what you are hearing at present?   

Caphill: Did you ever get to hear the Grandioso stack? You may wish to communicate with users colekat and hddg who have the stack for some time now and can give you alot of feedback. Personally, it’s the finest I’ve ever heard including several other competing offerings and my plan is to do a step-wise upgrade to the Grandioso from the 02-level stack I have today.

A note on Grandioso dealers; yes, there are only 2 in the entire US from what I’ve been told and at least 1 great dealer in Toronto. Ivan at Legend AV (check out AudioAficionado as previously suggested) has a wealth of knowledge and experience with the entire Esoteric family of products as well as having heard many of the competing offerings and decided to stay with Esoteric. I do doubt however that anyone would ship out a demo stack of Grandioso to anyone given that would take having 2 entire stacks at their disposal (1 to retain for in-dealer demos, 1 to ship out for weeks at a time), a financial due diligence process (we are talking about a $80K liability for the dealer) that transcends a mere deposit, etc....

You may also wish to look to hear a P-02X/D-02X or a Grandioso K1 single-box player wherever you are able to; they will give you an in-depth hearing into just how good these products are and the key differences between Esoteric and DCS. The Grandioso full stack is on an entirely different level above all that, but you’ll be hooked quite probably (IMHO).

The C1 pre-amp and M1 Monoblocks are also excellent,...you are definitely on a right path to achieving an ultimate system with a different sound than the one you already have.

+1 on the suggestion to reach out to Scott Sefton whose contact info is given below; he’s a great guy and has really sunk his teeth into the Esoteric line. He can give you some detailed listening impressions and suggestions as well.

+1 on the fact that if you are looking for something different than the DCS stack you are already extremely fortunate to own, that you consider the MSB and TotalDAC or T+A top of the line products. Several people, including Mike who has already commented here, have 1 or the other of them and love them. They are amazing products in their own right.

For clocking any high-end setup, 10 mHz "master clocking" is the way to go. The Esoteric G1 is a fantastic reference-level piece as are any of the Cybershaft or Sforzato reference pieces.

Sorry I was late to the thread....I’ve not been spending as much time keeping up with audio forum threads over the last few months as I would have liked to.